is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

New cooling masterbatch for greenhouse films cuts down interior temperature in hot regions

Article-New cooling masterbatch for greenhouse films cuts down interior temperature in hot regions

In field tests in South Israel, greenhouse films produced with Tosaf's new cooling masterbatch IR8783PE reduced the peak temperature inside a greenhouse tunnel by up to 5°C in comparison with a conventional film containing a light diffuser, the company stated.

Designed to support optimal plant growth in hot climate zones, films produced with IR8783PE block a significant amount of the near infrared radiation (NIR), which would otherwise strongly heat up the greenhouse interior. Most of the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), which is required for a healthy plant growth, can pass through the films unhindered. Field trials in South Israel reportedly revealed a 4 to 5°C lower peak temperature in comparison with conventional light diffusing film with no undesired overnight temperature drop. With a recommended rate of addition of about 5% for a 200 micron film, the new masterbatch is suitable for single, three and five layer films.

Cultivating crops in very hot regions, such as the subtropics or Southern Europe, is made difficult by the plants' ability to produce pollen being reduced at high temperatures. The most common remedy, namely painting the films with whitewash, not only entails additional labor but at the same time cuts out some of the essential PAR, according to Tosaf. Films produced with IR8783PE can not only save this extra labor but also lower the temperature without significant PAR loss.

Tosaf Group, founded in 1985, is a joint-venture between Megides Holding and the Ravago Group. The group operates nine factories in Israel, Turkey, Germany, UK, The Netherlands and the Ukraine, with a total of 800 employees. Tosaf's range of products includes mineral-filled compounds for the white goods industry, automotive and other plastic industries; additives such as UV-/light stabilizers, flame retardants and customized additives for applications including BOPP, agricultural, packaging and industrial films, polycarbonate sheets, pipes, foams and other products; and color masterbatches for a wide range of applications.

Hide comments
account-default-image

Comments

  • Allowed HTML tags: <em> <strong> <blockquote> <br> <p>

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Publish